When Bryce Harper stepped to the plate for the first time Friday night at Champion Stadium, the reaction from crowd was a little louder, a little more mixed than it was for the other visiting Nationals.

When the 2012 season ended, general manager Frank Wren was forced to confront a new kind of problem. “What is the identity of this team going to be?” he asked his staff. And thanks to the creation of an outfield composed of the Upton Brothers and Jason Heyward, the Braves have their new identity.

Despite trying to pitch through a sore elbow, Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson won’t make any excuse for his subpar second-half performance last season. Wilson is determined to return to his dominant form and do his part to form a formidable 1-2 punch with Jered Weaver.

Aided by the wind, Bryce Harper hit his first spring homer, while the Nats rallied late to pick up Jordan Zimmermann, who gave up a pair of runs in three innings.

Pitching is what the Rockies want their pitchers to focus on — not altitude.

General manager Jon Daniels earned the title “president of baseball operations” in addition to his role as general manager after the Rangers announced his promotion Friday, following two days of owners meetings.

Two days before his departure for the World Baseball Classic, Carlos Gonzalez is showing “coast-to-coast” power, as manager Walt Weiss put it.

Management’s anxiety level has been dialed back with the impressive play of Hanley Ramirez, who is scheduled to leave camp on Sunday for the World Baseball Classic.

There is no “C” sewn onto Paul Konerko’s jersey representing his captain’s status, because, as Konerko once joked, he doesn’t have to talk to officials about specific infractions like his NHL counterparts.Then again, Konerko doesn’t need that designation to stand as one of the most respected men in the White Sox clubhouse. He also doesn’t need to deliver rah-rah, inspirational speeches in order to be considered a leader.

Josh Hamilton hit his first home run and the Angels erupted for seven runs in the third inning and five more in the seventh of Jered Weaver’s debut on Friday, propelling them to their first Cactus League victory, 16-8, over a Dodgers split squad at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Uneventful as these first Spring Training starts may seem, at 30 years old and in preparation for his eighth season in the Majors, Jered Weaver still feels some jitters heading into them.

The Yankees’ newfound fiscal conservatism aside, Robinson Cano is now the biggest impact player the team has in the everyday lineup. His own performance, combined with the Yankees’ current circumstances, makes him irreplaceable and particularly expensive.

Already one of baseball’s premier power hitters at age 23, Giancarlo Stanton is out to prove he’s a five-tool player.

The Dodgers dropped a 7-5 decision to the Padres in Cactus League action on Friday. Zack Greinke gave up two runs over three innings and Matt Kemp went 0-for-2 in his first spring game.

It might not yet be the time to proclaim that Roy Halladay is back to normal, but, as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel put it after Halladay’s second start of the spring, “he’s definitely getting there.”

It’s already been a little bit of fun and games for Justin Verlander, who was lights-out on Friday at Tradition Field. He cruised through a perfect three innings, consistently touching the low-to-mid-90s on the radar gun, and mixing in a few breaking pitches.

Ervin Santana was the first bold move made by general manager Dayton Moore in re-making the pitching rotation, and he debuted with two scoreless innings on Friday.